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Ear Inn, NYC

Ted Greenwald and Charles Bernstein founded the Ear Inn series in Fall 1978 with the Lally/Ashbery reading.

The Ear Inn series, co-sponsored by James Sherry's Segue Foundation, migrated to the following locations, all the while keeping its curatorial character and staying on Saturday afternoons.

  • HERE Cafe (1998)
  • Double Happiness, (1998-2001)
  • Bowery Poetry Club (2002-2012)
  • Zinc Bar, NYC (2012-2020)
  • Artists Space (2020- )

  • Many of these recordings from the Ear Inn were made or collected by Charles Bernstein.


    The CD Live at the Ear, digitally remastered from Bernstein's Archival Collections from original taped readings (1978-1993), is the best introduction.


    Fliers of first Ear season: pdf

    Note: when author name is linked, reading has been broken into singles or there is additional information at author's PennSound page.

    September 16, 1978

    John Ashbery and Michael Lally
    Note: Ashbery and Lally alternated reading during the recording
    1. Ashbery, first set (16:46): MP3
    2. Lally, "The softness of an ass" (3:33): MP3
    3. Lally, from South Orange Sonnets (16:42): MP3

        Segmented:

      • 4 (00:43): MP3
      • 6 (00:32): MP3
      • 7 (00:33): MP3
      • 9 (00:32): MP3
      • 14 (00:34): MP3
      • 15 (00:30): MP3
      • 16 (00:31): MP3
      • 19 (00:30): MP3
      • 20 (00:40): MP3

    4. Ashbery, from Litany (20:01): MP3
    5. Lally, second set full (24:36): MP3

        Segmented:

      • My Life (11:20): MP3
      • 1978 Almost Spring (01:14): MP3
      • Knowing (00:57): MP3
      • from Oomaloom (22:04): MP3
    Complete reading (1:23:44): MP3

    October 21, 1978

    October 7, 1978 (exact date unknown)

    October 14, 1978

    October 28, 1978

    November 18, 1978

    November 25, 1978

    November 13, 1978

    December 2, 1978

    • David Bromige and Carole Korzeniowsky
    • Complete recording, Part 1 (41:20): MP3
    • Complete recording, Part 2 (40:54): MP3